Described herein are rats with a hepatic deficiency comprising decreased function, activity, or expression of an enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway (such as fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase), and methods of using the same for in vivo engraftment and expansion of heterologous hepatocytes, such as human hepatocytes, analysis of human liver disease, and analysis of xenobiotics. Also disclosed is the use of immunodeficient rats for the engraftment and expansion of heterologous hepatocytes.

The present invention provides a mouse with liver damage, having a high degree of damage against the mouse's original hepatocytes while having a uPA gene in a heterozygous form, and a method for efficiently preparing the mouse. Specifically, the method for preparing a mouse with liver damage having the uPA gene in a heterozygous form comprises the following steps of: (i) transforming mouse ES cells with a DNA fragment containing a liver-specific promoter/enhancer and cDNA that encodes a urokinase-type plasminogen activator operably linked under the control thereof; (ii) injecting the transformed mouse ES cells obtained in step (i) into a host embryo; (iii) transplanting the host embryo obtained in step (ii) via the injection of the ES cells into the uterus of a surrogate mother mouse, so as to obtain a chimeric mouse; and (iv) crossing the chimeric mice obtained in step (iii), so as to obtain a transgenic mouse in which the DNA fragment is introduced in a heterozygous form.

Provided are u-PA polypeptides and fusion proteins containing the u-PA polypeptides. The u-PA polypeptides are modified to have altered activity and/or specificity so that they cleave a complement protein, such as complement protein C3, to thereby inhibit complement activation. The modified u-PA polypeptides and fusion proteins that inhibit complement activation can be used for treatment of diseases and conditions that are mediated by complement activation, or in which complement activation plays a role. These disorders include ischemic and reperfusion disorders, including myocardial infarction and stroke, sepsis, autoimmune diseases, diabetic retinopathies, age-related macular degeneration, transplanted organ rejection, inflammatory diseases and diseases with an inflammatory component.

Overexpression of a variety of cell surface markers in cancer cells and/or non-cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment is an important hallmark for many types of cancers and is associated with cancer progression and poor prognosis. This invention provides multivalent pharmacophores for high avidity and specific binding to these overexpressed markers with much reduced binding to normally-expressed targets in healthy tissues. Further, the pharmacophores will not be interfered by soluble targets present in the circulatory systems and in tumor microenvironment. This new class of targeting therapeutics and diagnostics will provide better efficacy in cancer treatment and higher accuracy in cancer diagnosis than the currently available therapeutic and diagnostic means. This invention will also expand the range of targets that can be targeted in both cancer treatment and diagnosis, and more types of cancers can be treated target-specifically. Other diseases that have overexpressed cell surface markers in diseased cells will also be benefitted from this invention.

This disclosure relates to nanoparticles coated with fusion proteins comprising a domain that binds a cancer marker and a domain comprising a toxic polypeptide. In certain embodiments, the targeted cancer marker is urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), EGFR, HER2, and/or other member of the ErbB family of receptors. In certain embodiments, the molecule that binds a cancer marker is an amino terminal fragment of uPA or variant capable of binding uPAR and/or IGF1 or variant capable of binding IGF1R. In certain embodiments, the toxic polypeptide is a bacterial exotoxin.

Provided are u-PA polypeptides and fusion proteins containing the u-PA polypeptides. The u-PA polypeptides are modified to have altered activity and/or specificity so that they cleave a complement protein, such as complement protein C3, to thereby inhibit complement activation. The modified u-PA polypeptides and fusion proteins that inhibit complement activation can be used for treatment of diseases and conditions that are mediated by complement activation, or in which complement activation plays a role. These disorders include ischemic and reperfusion disorders, including myocardial infarction and stroke, sepsis, autoimmune diseases, diabetic retinopathies, age-related macular degeneration, transplanted organ rejection, inflammatory diseases and diseases with an inflammatory component.

The present invention is directed to methods of treatment of airway obstruction associated with fibrin-containing cast formation by administering a fibrinolytic agent.

Described herein are rats with a hepatic deficiency comprising decreased function, activity, or expression of an enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway (such as fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase), and methods of using the same for in vivo engraftment and expansion of heterologous hepatocytes, such as human hepatocytes, analysis of human liver disease, and analysis of xenobiotics. Also disclosed is the use of immunodeficient rats for the engraftment and expansion of heterologous hepatocytes.

A significant interest lies in compositions that hinder the metastatic process. This process, along with recurrence, is associated with a subset of highly invasive tumorigenic cells expressing CD44. Described herein are CD44-modulating peptide compositions for combination therapy as well as method of use thereof to treat or ameliorate tumors or cancers like ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, or triple-negative breast cancer.

Described herein are rats with a hepatic deficiency comprising decreased function, activity, or expression of an enzyme in the tyrosine catabolic pathway (such as fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase), and methods of using the same for in vivo engraftment and expansion of heterologous hepatocytes, such as human hepatocytes, analysis of human liver disease, and analysis of xenobiotics. Also disclosed is the use of immunodeficient rats for the engraftment and expansion of heterologous hepatocytes.